The present invention relates to a cartridge feeder for a double-barrel gun. More particularly this invention concerns a sprocket type feeder for an artillery piece whose barrels are fired and reloaded alternately.
A standard two-barrel artillery piece fires and reloads the barrels alternately, normally with some sort of recoil slide action serving to eject the spent cartridge and chamber a new shell. The live ammunition is carried normally on belts that are advanced by some sort of sprocket arrangement to position them where they can be loaded by the loading mechanism into the chamber. Obviously the rate of fire of such a gun can be fairly high, so that the shells must be advanced rapidly and accurately positioned for both barrels. The cartridge feed must still be as compact and simple as possible, something not hitherto achieved in a serviceable device.
In addition it is desirable for such a feeder to be opened up so that the entire region confronting the rear ends of the gun barrels can be cleared for all to see when the piece is being moved. In this manner the possibility of an accidental shot is eliminated in a manner that can be seen easily.